Reading comprehension
Chinese calligraphy is an important part of traditional Chinese culture. Calligraphy started in China and spread to other parts of Asia with Chinese culture. It has a history of 4,000 to 5,000 years. Calligraphy is the art of writing Chinese characters（汉字）and rules of writing with a brush. When you practice calligraphy, it is important to pay attention to the changes of the strokes（笔画）and the spaces between characters.
There are many famous calligraphers in history, such as Wang Xizhi and Yan Zhenqing. Different calligraphy works can show different calligraphers’ feelings and personalities. Today, they can be seen on the walls of offices, shops, hotels and many other places.
“If I live in China, I will become a calligrapher rather than a painter for sure,” the world-famous master of art, Picasso said. He fell in love with Chinese calligraphy as soon as he saw Zhang Daqian’s works.
The tool for practicing calligraphy is calligraphy brushes. They are usually made from the hair of different animals. Practicing calligraphy takes a lot of time and many people take lessons to learn it. During the lessons, they can learn how to write different strokes of Chinese characters. If you’re interested in it, you may start practicing with a teacher right away.
Calligraphy, an amazing traditional art form, shows the love that all Chinese people have for culture and beauty. Chinese people of all ages practice calligraphy often, not to be a calligrapher, but to enjoy the peaceful mind.
（1）How long is the history of Chinese calligraphy?
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（2）What do we need to pay attention to when we practice calligraphy?
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（3）What does the underlined word “they” refer to?
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（4）When did Picasso fall in love with Chinese calligraphy?
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（5）Why do Chinese people of all ages practice calligraphy often?
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Water is the "life blood" of our earth. It is in every living thing. It is in the air. It runs through mountains and valleys. It forms lakes and seas. Nature has a great water system（系统）.Rainwater finds its way to rivers and lakes. River water runs into the sea. At the mouths of the rivers, fresh water joins the salt water of the sea.
Here at the mouth of a river there is much important plant and animal life. But pollution destroys this life. We have to clean our rivers. Man has to work with nature, not against it.Water is like________.
A. cloudsB. bloodC. life ________ is in every living thing.
A. BloodB. WaterC. SaltThe mouth of a river is near _________.
A. the seaB. a lakeC. a mountain There is much plant and animal life at the _________ of a river.
A. headB. topC. mouthWe have to ________ our rivers.
A. findB. cleanC. pollute
Bicycles are very popular in China. In our country you can see bicycles almost everywhere. When you walk on the road, you will find a lot of people riding bicycles to schools, shops and anywhere else. Therefore(因此), China is known as “the kingdom of bicycles”. In China, many families have one or two bicycles.
Compared(与……比) with cars, bicycles have many advantages. First, they are much cheaper than cars. Most Chinese can’t afford cars, but they can afford bicycles. Second, bicycles are small enough to park anywhere, while cars need a larger piece of land to park. What’s more, with lower speed, bicycles are safer than cars.
However, bicycles also bring some problems. Some riders don’t obey the traffic rules and some riders don’t think about others’ safety. So they ride too fast. During rush hours, too many bicycles may cause traffic jams. We still have a long way to go to solve the problem. Where can you see bicycles in China?
| A．In the big city. | B．In the town. |
| C．In the country. | D．Almost everywhere. |
“The kingdom of bicycles” here is saying ____.
| A．China has a large number of bicycles |
| B．China makes bicycles |
| C．bicycles are a kingdom |
| D．only China has bicycles |
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of bicycles?
| A．Bicycles are much cheaper than cars. |
| B．Bicycles are easy to park. |
| C．Bicycles are more beautiful than cars. |
| D．Bicycles are safer than cars. |
What problems can bicycles bring?
| A．Bicycles are more and more expensive. |
| B．Riding bicycles is more dangerous than driving cars. |
| C．There are no places for so many bicycles. |
| D．Too many bicycles may cause traffic jams. |
What does the last sentence mean?
| A．We should drive cars instead of riding bicycles. |
| B．It’s too far to ride bicycles. |
| C．Bicycles are safe enough. |
| D．We still need to do much to solve the problem. |
People live in different kinds of houses in the world. Usually, each house has its own living rooms, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Different houses have different names. What are they? Now, let’s take a look.
A flat is usually in a building. There are usually many families living in the same flat building. People in a flat building share the same stairs and lift to go up and down.
A townhouse has two floors. In a townhouse, the kitchen, the living room and dining room are usually on the ground floor, and the bedrooms are usually on the first floor.
A farmhouse is a house on a farm. There are many farmers living there. There is a large yard in front of it. There are also some “houses” for cows and hens near the farmhouse. The field is not far from the farmhouse, so farmers always go to the field on foot.
A dormitory is a large bedroom in a school, and every 4—8 students share one dormitory. They share the same bathroom, but each student has his or her own bed. Students can learn how to get along well with each other in a dormitory. How does a person get into his or her flat on the second floor?
| A．He or she climbs a ladder to get into it. |
| B．He or she uses a lift to get into it. |
| C．He or she climbs a rope (绳) to get into it. |
| D．He or she uses a plane to get into it. |
What do people call a two-floor house?
| A．A flat. | B．A townhouse. |
| C．A farmhouse. | D．A dormitory. |
Farmers living in farmhouses usually go to the field______.
| A．by bike | B．by bus |
| C．by car | D．on foot |
Paul and Stephen live in a dormitory, so it’s good for them to learn ______ there.
| A．how to make money | B．how to speak English |
| C．how to get along with others | D．how to sing a song |
The writer tells us ______ kinds of houses.
| A．four | B．five |
| C．six | D．seven |
Boys and girls ,let’s begin our English class now .This time I want to talk about my family .Then I want you to say something about your families .
There are seven people in my family .They are my parents ,my two sisters ,my brother ,his wife (妻子) and I .In England ,a family like this is a big one .My father has a factory .It isn’t very big .It makes all kinds of boats .My brother is a doctor .He works in a hospital (医院).His wife works in a hospital ,too . One of my sisters is a student. She studies hard and well .The other likes singing very much and can sing very well .So she wants to be a singer (歌手).I’m now in China teaching English and learning Chinese. My mother stays at home .Can you guess (猜测)what she does at home ?Yes, does housework .she is a housewife . Where do I come from ?
| A．China | B．America |
| C．England | D．Canada |
Where am I now ?
| A．In China | B．In America |
| C．In England | D．In Canada |
Who works in a school in my family ?
| A．One of my sisters | B．I |
| C．My father | D．My brother |
My brother and his wife work _________
| A．as teachers | B．as nurses |
| C．as doctors | D．in a hospital |
In Chinese “housewife” means __________
| A．干家务活的人 | B．在家的妻子 |
| C．家庭主妇 | D．保姆 |
Different people have different skin(皮肤) colours. Some have black skin, some have yellow skin, and some have white skin. There was a woman in Alaska. Her skin was orange in colour. It was almost the colour of orange juice.
How did this woman become orange? She ate lots of tomatoes, carrots and pumpkins.
She ate too many orange things. That's why she turned orange.
The woman didn't want to be orange. She went to the doctor. The doctor said,“Stop eating orange things. Eat some green things.” The woman did so, and she wasn't orange any more.The woman in this story had .
| A．orange eyes and hair | B．orange skin |
| C．only orange | D．yellow skin |
The woman was orange because .
| A．she ate oranges only |
| B．she ate too many orange things |
| C．she had too much orange juice |
| D．she liked that colour skin |
This story is mainly(主要地) about .
| A．a woman in Alaska |
| B．tomatoes,carrots and pumpkin |
| C．a doctor |
| D．different people with the same colour skin |
The woman went to see the doctor because .
| A．she didn't like her skin |
| B．she needed some green things |
| C．she didn't feel well |
| D．she didn't like her colour |
The doctor told her .
| A．to eat orange things | B．to drink orange juice |
| C．not to buy any orange vegetable | D．to have some green food |